Rocket (comics)

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caption=Rocket from "Icon" #35, artist Mark Bright
character_name=Rocket
publisher=Milestone Comics
debut="Icon" #1 (May 1993)
creators=Dwayne McDuffie (writer)
Mark Bright (artist)
real_name=Raquel Ervin
species =
homeworld =
alliances=
aliases=
supports =Icon
powers=Alien harness allows her to manipulate kinetic energy|

Rocket is a fictional superhero created by Milestone Comics and published by DC Comics. She first appeared in "Icon" #1 (May 1993), and was created by Dwayne McDuffie and Mark Bright.

Fictional character biography

Raquel Ervin was born in Paris Island, the poorest, most crime-ridden neighborhood in Dakota. Although she is only the sidekick of the title character, Icon, she is the actual protagonist of the series. She yearned to become a writer ("just like Toni Morrison"), but lacked the motivation. That is, until she met Augustus Freeman IV, a stranded alien with superhuman powers. This, while she and her friends were robbing Freeman's home. Racquel convinced Augustus to become the superhero Icon, and to take her on as his sidekick. While in costume, she wore a harness Icon fashioned out of his escape pod's safety mechanism, which allowed her to manipulate kinetic energy.

Shortly after she began adventuring with Icon, Racquel discovered that she was pregnant by her ex-boyfriend. She decided to keep the baby, becoming the first single teenage mother in comics. She gave birth to a son, whom she named Amistad Augustus Ervin, named 'Amistad' after famous ship that brought slaves over from Africa to America, and 'Augustus' after Augustus Freeman IV, the Human alias of Dakota City superhero Icon. While her pregnancy caused her to give up adventuring for a time, Racquel eventually became a superhero again.

Rocket also assists the Blood Syndicate member Flashback in fighting her addiction to crack cocaine.

Rocket was more liberal than Icon, which caused them to clash on a number of occasions. She befriended Static, another Dakota teenage superhero. While it has been hinted that someday they might become more than friends, their relationship remained platonic throughout the run of their respective titles.

External links

* [http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/r/rocket.htm International Heroes: Rocket]